All I Want for Christmas is Artisan Cheese – Event Recap

All I Want for Christmas is Artisan Cheese was the subject of our last panel for event for 2024. We started a new series called  Conversations Around The Cookery School Table –  monthly panel events on food around topics that are close to our hearts at Cookery School at Little Portland Street.

Our events offer opportunities for  lively discussions, networking with like-minded food lovers, and, of course, the opportunity to taste some delicious food from our kitchen.

We’re coming up to Christmas, the busiest time of year for makers and sellers of cheese.  This gave a great opportunity to bring together an expert panel of artisan cheese makers and retailers all about making, maturing and selling cheese at Christmas.

Our event on 25th November 2024 was chaired by writer & cheese podcaster Jenny Linford whose feature “The British Cheese Crisis” during lockdown was instrumental to the survival of many British producers. Jenny hosts the podcast A Slice of Cheese where she regularly talks to cheese-makers around the world on Food.fm Radio in partnership with Peter’s Yard.

She spoke to Mary Quicke – award winning 4th generational cheesemaker (Quickes was established in 1540) widely considered the Godmother of British cheese, 3rd generational cheesemakers Jonny & Dulcie Crickmore of Fen Farm Dairy, producers of award winning cheeses including the acclaimed Baron Bigod and Joe Schneider maker of the creamy raw milk blue, Stichelton cheese in Nottinghamshire!

Representing cheese retailers were Bronwen Percival the technical director for Neal’s Yard Dairy in London, and Rhuaridh Buchanan a previous winner of Cheese Counter of the Year at the World Cheese Awards for Buchanan’s Cheesemongers in London.

Jenny set the scene by asking whether Bronwen of Neal’s Yard Dairy to give a sense of the British cheese scene – how it has developed in the last 30 years and where we are today. Bronwen pointed out that a number of cheese makers such as Fen Farm Dairy and Stichelton weren’t around twenty years ago and how refreshing it was to see them as a response to a number of continental cheese on the market. Although lockdown and Jenny’s feature did revitalise the public’s love for artisan cheese, the cost of living crisis, has seen people revert back somewhat to their buying habits of “block cheddar” or cheaper supermarket cheese. Neal’s Yard Dairy do however see a huge increase in cheese buying around Christmas and all of the cheese makers on our panel pointed out that most of their sales are concentrated on the winter months of the year.

That said, there was still a very strong community amongst British Cheesemakers and cheesemongers. This was evidenced by how the public rallied around Neal’s Yard Dairy during the recent “Great Cheese Heist”. Bronwyn said the public and industry support as incredible when Neal’s Yard Dairy were the  victim of a sophisticated fraud resulting in the loss of over £300,000 worth of clothbound Cheddar.

They are currently working with local law enforcement and international authorities to identify the perpetrators of this fraud. Bronwyn said while the cheese may never be recovered, they have been very open in sharing  what has happened to prevent it from happening to other businesses.

Joe Schneider of Stichelton (pictured above with Bronwen) – is one of the newer cheesemakers. Hailing from New York, Joe explained his love for the British cheese industry and the clear visibility for the producers. “I started off as an American living in Holland, making blue cheese for a Turk.  When I came to England and looked at the shelves at Neals Yard there was a triumvirate of tradition. There was a recipe Cheddar, Cheshire. There was a Place – Lancashire, Devon and there was People – Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese, Montgomery’s Cheddar, Appleby’s Cheese and Neals Yard Dairy  was championing that triumvirate of People Place and Tradition.”

The panel gave overview on raw milk cheesemaking in Britain. In other countries, like Italy or Spain, the use of raw milk in cheesemaking is often legally protected through schemes like Protected Designation of Origin, but that’s not the case here. There was some discussion as to whether “raw milk cheese” gave more of a sense of the life of cheese. The cheesemakers spoke of the balance between safety and the benefits of using pasteurised milk, but all pointed out that cheese is a live product and that’s what makes it so interesting.

Mary Quicke  said that in the old days you thought of cheese mite being a totally unacceptable thing to have on the rind. However, they are a natural part of the traditional clothbound cheese-making process. Cheese mites contribute to the development of the ‘mould garden’ and therefore the flavour of the cheese. With the numbers properly maintained the cheese mites are our friends – our very own mini gardeners. Juvenile mite do not grow and have an almost peppery aroma which Mary believes contributes a little to the flavour of mature clothbound cheese.

Speaking of tasting, during the panel Jenny and the cheesemakers took us though a guided tasting of their cheese and we sampled the difference between younger and mature cheeses. Mary Quicke’s  award-wining clothbound mature cheddar (matured for 12 -15 months) for example had clearly different tastes we were encouraged to a savour it from “nose” (the narrow pointy part in the centre of a slice of cheese) through to the rind. The cheese nearer the rind has a clear horse-radish aroma and a stronger taste than the cheese in the nose.

Quicke’s Goat Cheese is matured for six months. That younger cheese has a very different flavour profile and was equally delicious.

Jonny and Dulcie Crickmore from Fen Farm Dairy brought along some of their award-winning Baron Bigod to sample. Even with a difference of a few month maturing, it was interesting to note the difference in taste and in colour of their  traditional Brie-de-Meaux style cheese.

Joe Schneider’s Stichelton is one of the few English blue cheeses made with raw milk. As mentioned earlier, Joe believes that cheese made on farm from raw milk offers a complexity and length of flavour of a different sort to that of pasteurised cheese. His aim with Stichelton is to bring back that forgotten flavour for our enjoyment.

Jonny and Dulcie spoke about the production of their cheese and the extra work they do for Christmas cheese. Their  Truffled Baron Bigod is only produced for the festive season and made to order.  Jonny explained how it was made by  sandwiching black truffle infused marscapone in their traditional Baron Bigod.  Dulcie said it has led to the best sign in the whole dairy “No Truffling or Wedging in this area”

The Crickmores have diversified into a number of other dairy products so they are not just reliant on the winter months when they see their larger sales of cheese. Products such as Bungay Butter,  raw milk, cultured cream and yoghurt form part of their Dairy Club subscription service. Dulcie looks after Fen Farm Dairy’s social media and says it is a great way to take customers behind the scenes and connect with their staff and animals on the farm.

As with all events at Cookery School at Little Portland Street our audience enjoyed home made canapes at the start. There was also mulled wine to warm us up on the cold November night. After the tasting and some delicious cheese custards we enjoyed a glass of port along with more Stichelton.

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